Automatic fishing-line reel



Oct. 30,1923. 4 4 1,472,144

W. C. STOCKLIN AUTOMATIC FISHING LINE REEL Filed March 26, 1923 PatentedOct. 30, 1923.

irEo STATES PATENT OFFICE.

"WILLIAM C. STOCKLIN, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO, ASQIGN'OR OF ONE-HALF TO EMMETTE.

. RUE, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO.

AUTOMATIC FISHING-LINE REEL.

Application filed March 26, 1923. Seria1 No. 627,877.

connection with the 'reel itself or as an attachment for a fishing rod,in either instance adapting the rod to be anchored and left for theproper operation of the automatic reel when a fish is hooked.

It is a well known fact that automatic reels are ordinarily set with abrake in active position so that the line can be pulled out only withconsiderable difficulty, the brake being released by a lever which isnormally in inactive position and is ordinarily moved to active positionto release the brake by the operator so that with the brake released thereel is free to operate,

under its spring tension and not only carries and reels the line butletsthe line out under perfect control, permitting no slack in the lineno matter how the fish leaps, plunges, runs in or swims out. In theordinary operation, an operator is of course necessary and my inventionpurposes an arrangement throughthe use of which the operator may bedispensed with and provision made for the automatic shifting of thebrake release lever from its normal inactive position to its activeposition when a.

fish is hooked, thus permitting a rod tobe anchored and the attention ofthe operator Figure 3 is a top plan view of the parts shown in Figure 2,

Figure 4 is a cross section taken on line 1-4 of Figure 2, showing myattachment in rear elevation, with the lever actuating spring brokenaway, and

Figure 5 is a top plan view illustrating aslightly modified form inwhich my im provements are mounted in connection with the reel itself.

Referring now to these figures my invent1on proposes means in connectionwith an automatic reel. generally indicated at 10 in the severalfigures, whereby the brake release lever 11 thereof may be depressed orshifted toward the rod 12 on which the reel is mounted in order thatsaid brake release lever may be mechanically moved from its normalinactive position wherein the brake controlled thereby is active toprevent automatic operation of the reel, to an active position whereinthe brake is released, or in other words from the normal inactive position shown in full lines in Figure 2 to the active position shown indotted lines in said figure.

The means whereby this operation may be accomplished are preferably inthe form of an attachment adapted to be situated upon the rod 12adjacent to the reel 10 and forwardly thereof, as shown in Figures 1 to4; inclusive, the attachment including a pair of rod clasping jaws 13hingedly connected to one another as at 14 and formed in connection witha pair of plates 15 and 16 of which the plate 15 is in the nature of afinger piece shiftable toward and away from the plate 16 to open orclose the jaws 13, plates 15 and 16 having a spring 17 therebetween bymeans of which they are normally spaced apart and the jaws tensioned formovement toward one another.

In applying the device to a fishing rod 12 the latter :is preferablyprovided in the first instance with a bushing 18 telescoped thereon andsnugly surounding the same adjacent to its handle 19 and forwardly ofthe reel 10, which bushing is preferably formed by a section of rubbertubing so that the jaws 13 can effectively engage the sides of the rodin efliciently supporting relation withou ma-rring or scratching the roditself.

. The side plate 16 upstands above the side plate 15 and is provided atits rear portion with an upstanding ear 20 to which a trigger 20 ispivotally connected as at 22in; the ends thereof, the forwardendof-which trigger overlies and is vertically shiftable above '27 whoseextensions have-tension coils-28 and are connected at their extremitiesto the apertured and notched outer en'ds'of across plate 29projectingacross the rear edgesfof the plates 15 and 16 and preferablysecured in any suitable'manner to the rear edgejbf plate 16. The normalposition of theaem ating spring 27 is shown in Figure 2 wherein it willbe seen that by virtue of itsengagement in the upper inactive positionshown in full lines, by the shouldered lower portion 25 of the triggerhead, it can only be released by downward movement'of the forward end oftrigger 21 and such movement is normally resisted by the inner portionof a trip arm 30, pivotally' mounted as at 31 upon the laterallyprojectingsupporting car '23 so that in its normal laterallyo'utstandingposition, this trip arm e'xtends' beneath the forward end of trigger21'and must be shifted forwardly on itspivot'31 in order to permit thetrigger to rock 'vertically and release the actuating member or spring27 for movement downwardly upon the brake release lever 11.

The trip arm 30 forms a"line"guide"-and for thispurpose has an outervertically elongated line' guide loop 32 whose upstanding terminalportion 33 is spaced from theo'ut'er portion of the trip arm in orderthat the fish line 34 maybe readily extendedi'n'to the guide 100p i y 19of the rod'12is"secured in fconnection with an anchor 35, the fish line34 is'rpreferr ably attached to the line guide"32"of the trip arm insuch manner that a loop; A isleft forwardly of the attachment anda'lo'op B is left betweenthe attachment and-thereel I "10, and also insuch a manner that an out ward pull upon the fish line-willfcairrythetrip arm with it while an inward -'.p ull"will release the fishline inorder that theniito matic reel 10 may thereafter function as usual.

Thus when a'fish takes, the bait and-hook in a forward direction frombeneath-the 1 forward end ofthetrigger. Immedi'atelythis movement of theparts takes place hdwever the forward end 'Of' the'triggenis free toAsseen in Figure 1 'where'the handle end swing downwardly and the rearend up wardly to release the brake lever actuating membenor "spring 27whereby the latter swings downwardly and forcibly depresses the brakereleasing lever ll in order to thus 'jplace the 1"eel10 in effectivelyop'eratlng position; Under tensionof its spring, the reel thereupon'vpromptly starts to wind the fish mu-ch'resemb'les the usual jerk appliedby handin order-to effectively set the hook into the fish. Thereafterthe automatic reel 10 will operate as usualand'it is to be noted that itis' a'simple matter to form in the fish linewhatis known as a halterhitch, which is engaged with the terminal upright of the line'guide ofthe trip arm, which hitch is unimpaired when the line is movedforwardlyor outwardly, and is pulled free when the line is shiftedinwardly during the operation of' thereel 10.

"It'will'be observed that my 1nvent1on thus provides for a simpleinexpensive attach- .ment of the nature described for carrying out theobjects of the invention and by reference to Figure 5 it will be seenthat instead of being in the form ofan attachment applicable to the rod12 outwardly beyond or in advance of the rear, may be provided inconnection with and as-a part of the'reel itself 'as' for instance byproviding the reel 10 'ofan' outstanding support 36 overlying its'brakerelease lever 11 upon which5support 36 the trigger 21 similarin-'='all;respects to the trigger 21, may be pivoted intermediate itsends, its forward head end' engaging the brake lever depresse ing=member or spring 27 whose extensions 37 are secured 'to thereel 10 Theoutstandingjsupport 36 also provides a fulcrum 38 for the laterallyswinging trip arm line guide 39,-whose inner endnormally extends beneaththe rear or inner end of the trigger 21 and'whose outer end :has a guideloop 32 "similar to the beforementioned: guide loop 32 -Thus the samefunctions are carried outwhen the trip arm 39 is shifted forwardly, itsinner portion 'being moved rearwardly from'beneath the inner or rear endof the trigger so that the latter is free to shift vertically at itshead end in order torelase the lever actuatingmember 27 When theatachment is" not in use, the lever actuating member'or spring 27 maybesecured inan upper inactive position out of the path of movement ofthebrake releasing lever,*-by engaging this actuating memberor springwith the upper hook portion 26 of thetrigger head i claim: 1. Thecombinatlon with an automatic fishing l1ne reel having means normallyholding the same inactive, and mechanical line-actuated means forrelasing said holding means when the line is pulled away from the reelincluding a reel engaging member, a trigger normally holding saidengaging member in inactive position, and a line-actu- .ger normallycontrolling said movable member, and a line-actuated trip normallyholding the trigger against efi'ective movement.

3. The combination with an automatic reel for fish lines having anormally inactive brake relasing lever, of a member movable intoengagement with said lever for shifting the latter to active position, atrigger normally controlling said movable member, and a line-actuatedtrip normally holding the trigger against effective movement, and asupport for said lever shifting member, said trigger and said trip,having means for engaging and detachably supporting the same upon afishing rod.

4. The combination with an automatic reel for fish linesflhaving anormally inactive brake releasing lever, of a member movable intoengagement with said lever for shifting the latter to active position, atrigger normally controlling said movable member, and a line-actuatedtrip normally holding the trigger against effective movement, and asupport for said lever shifting member, said trigger and said trip,having spring-actuated rod engaging jaws for the purpose described. 5. Adevice of the character described including a U-shaped verticallyshiftable actuating member, a vertically swingable trigber engageable atone end with said member to normally hold the same in inactive position,and a trip arm normally engaging the opposite end of said trigger toprevent effective movement thereof, said trip arm laterally outstandingand horizontally shiftable and having an outer line guide.

6. A device of the character described including a U-shaped verticallyshiftable actuating member, a vertically swingable trigger engageable atone end with said member to normally hold the same in inactive position,and a trip arm normally engaging the opposite end of said trigger toprevent effective movement thereof, said trip arm laterally outstandingand horizontally shiftable and having an outer line guide, and a supportfor said parts including a pair of supporting plates upon one of whichsaid parts are mounted, having a pivotal connection and controllingspring and having depending gripping jaws for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature.

WILLIAM C. STOCKLIN.

